For many homemakers, the nagging question is always, “Can you freeze cooked cabbage?” Extending the shelf life of vegetables is one of the ways you can save money on food. Cabbage is a common vegetable in many households because it can feed a crowd and inexpensive.
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Cabbage is versatile. You usually add it to your casseroles, stir-fries, and soups, but you can also use it as a star ingredient in side dishes like coleslaw. Even if it’s common, some areas cannot have it all-year-round. That is why freezing cooked cabbage is an excellent way to enjoy the vegetable for a longer time.
If you live in an area that sells cabbage that may not be that fresh anymore, freezing cooked cabbage is a great way to extend the life of the cabbage you buy.
What You Need to Freeze Cabbage
- A good cutting board
- A bowl and a sharp knife
- A stockpot and a cookie sheet
- Some freezer bags to freeze the cabbage
Watch the video
Step 1. Wash and Soak
In case you get your cabbages from a local farmer or grow them in your garden, remember to remove the tough layer or leaves surrounding the head.
Rinse the cabbage head thoroughly and then soak it for 30 minutes in cold water to remove grit or cabbage worms.
Take the cabbage head from the water and shake off the excess water. Pat it dry. You should still rinse the cabbage well if you bought it from a grocery store. Do so after removing the outer layer of leaves.
Step 2. Cut Up
You can freeze cabbage wedges, shreds, and leaves. It’s up to you what form you prefer. If you’re still unsure about what you want to do with your cabbage, it is best to freeze it in wedges.
But if you already have things planned for it, cut it in your desired form. Cutting your cabbage in wedges requires that you leave the cores intact. That way, your leaves are still intact until you use them.
Step 3. Blanch
Inspect your cabbage first and remove dirt or insects that could be hiding in between the leaves. To rid your cabbage of bugs, you can soak it in saltwater for half an hour. Rinse the cabbage with freshwater after the salty soak.
Next, make sure to peel off any yellow cabbage leaves and cut them into quarters. Make sure not to remove the core because it will keep your leaves together during the blanching process. After blanching, dry them gently using paper towels.
It is then time to blanch the cabbage.
- Get a large pot and fill it with water. Bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Add your cabbage pieces once the water boils. This will eliminate the presence of bacteria and stop enzymes’ action, enabling the cabbage to store well in your freezer.
- If you have cabbage wedges, blanch them for three minutes. You can blanch cabbage shreds for one and a half minutes.
- Remove the boiled cabbages and place them in an ice bath. This stops the cooking process and locks in the green color.
Step 4. Cool in Ice Water
Here are the steps to do so:
- Pull the boiled cabbage out as soon as the boiling time is over and place them in a bowl of iced water to stop them from cooking any further.
- When the cabbage cools completely, take it out and shake off the water.
Step 5. Flash Freeze
- Pull out your cabbage from the iced water and get rid of the dripping water. If the cabbage is dry, it will less likely have a freezer burn.
- To flash freeze the cabbage, place them on a cookie sheet before you place them in the freezer. Doing so will prevent them from sticking to each other or having freezer burn. Flash freezing the cabbage will take two hours.
- Place them in freezer-safe plastic bags. Remove as much air as you can from your plastic bags before sealing them. Label them and write the date of their storage. Place the cabbage-filled plastic bags into your freezer, and that’s it!
You can opt to shred the cabbage before you place them into your freezer bags. Shredded cabbage is good if you want to make stews or soups.
How to Use Frozen Cabbage
When you think it’s time to use your frozen cabbage, thaw the shreds or leaves in the fridge. Do this if you want to use your cabbage for coleslaw or rolls. If you plan to make casseroles or soups, just drop in your frozen cabbage shreds. You don’t have to thaw them anymore.
Choosing the Right Cabbage to Freeze
You should choose the right type of cabbage before storing it in the freezer. Freezing affects its taste and quality, so you should get a healthy, high-quality cabbage. A good quality cabbage can hold up better when you freeze it.
- Be sure to buy fresh cabbages. The heads should be dense and solid. The leaves should be fresh and green. Take note that you should avoid freezing cabbages with wilted or yellow leaves. Check the sell date of the cabbage heads to be certain that they’re fresh.
- Large-scale farmers usually harvest cabbages at the peak of their freshness. Then, they store the cabbages in their warehouses before transporting. Try to get your cabbages from your local farmers, so that you can be sure that they are fresh.
- Growing cabbage. If you grow cabbages in your yard, pick them in the morning before the hot sun touches them. Wait until it’s almost frost before you pick your cabbages from your garden. This will ensure the freshness of the cabbages you get.
Types of Cabbages to Freeze
A few varieties of cabbages exist. Some of them do better in the freezer than others. Below are some of the cabbage varieties from which you can choose. As you ask yourself, “Can you freeze cooked cabbage?”, feel free to get the ones you want to use in various meals or cook using different methods:
1 Green Cabbage.
This is the most common cabbage, which is best enjoyed when it’s cooked. You can use green cabbage for stir-fries or stews.
2 Red Cabbage.
A violet or red cabbage is a popular variety as well. It is usually an ingredient in coleslaws and salads.
3 Bok Choy.
Chinese cuisine mainly uses bok choy. This type of cabbage is fleshy and deep green. It is also hardy and fibrous, so you need to steam it before eating.
4 Savoy Cabbage.
This type of cabbage is light green and has patterned leaves. You should cook it first before eating it. Savoy cabbage is a seasonal vegetable that you can add to stir-fries and soups.
Thawing Frozen Cabbage
Keep in mind that you cannot thaw frozen cabbage quickly. If you do this, you will ruin the cabbage leaves, and they will become soggy and mushy.
- You should avoid thawing frozen cabbage in hot water, microwaving, or even at room temperature. These methods will make the cabbage leaves soggy and destroy their color as well as their flavor.
- The most optimal way to thaw your frozen cabbage is to place it in the fridge overnight. Doing so thaws your cabbage slowly, keeping the texture and flavor intact. An abrupt rise in temperature during thawing will promote the growth of bacteria.
- After the slow thawing in your fridge for a few hours or overnight, you can cook it using a skillet or a microwave.
If you want to use your cabbage in casseroles or soups. You can just drop in your frozen shredded cabbage leaves into your pot. You don’t need to that them anymore.
Shelf Life
If you know for how long your cabbage can last fresh at room temperature, refrigerated, or frozen, you can be sure of its freshness each time you want to use it.
Note the following:
- Your cabbage storage life depends on the storage and handling conditions after it was harvested.
- If you store your cabbage in your fridge inside airtight containers, it will stay fresh for five days.
- Inside freezer-safe containers, your cooked cabbage can last for a year in the freezer. It will still be safe to eat it but expect its quality to decrease.
- Once you place your frozen cabbage in the fridge, it will last for three days.
- If you reheat or thaw your cabbage a room temperature or in the microwave, you should eat it immediately. Don’t store it for later anymore.
- Cooked cabbage, left at room temperature for longer than two hours, should be thrown away.
- Any cooked food left between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours can promote bacterial growth. Consuming exposed food will lead to food poisoning. If you refreeze the exposed food, you will only inactivate the bacteria. If you thaw the food again, you will only awaken the sleeping bacteria.
Can you freeze cooked cabbage?
As long as the cooked thawed cabbage is not exposed to at least 40°F, you can refreeze it. Thawed and refrigerated cooked cabbage does well. You can refreeze it again as well.
Do not refreeze heated, cooked cabbage or cooked cabbage that has been left at room temperature. If you do this, bacterial growth will increase. The texture and flavor of the cabbage will deteriorate.
Inspect the cabbage. If its appearance and smell are off, then discard it. You wouldn’t want to get sick just because you ate bad cabbage.
So, can you freeze cooked cabbage? Yes, you can.
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How to Freeze Cooked Cabbage
Equipment
- Cutting board
- sharp knife
- stockpot
- cookie sheet
Materials
- 1 lb cabbage
Instructions
- Rinse the cabbage head thoroughly and then soak it for 30 minutes in cold water to remove grit or cabbage worms.
- Cutting your cabbage in wedges requires that you leave the cores intact. That way, your leaves are still intact until you use them.
- Get a large pot and fill it with water. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Add your cabbage pieces once the water boils. Boiling the cabbage will eliminate the presence of bacteria and stop enzymes’ action, enabling the cabbage to store well in your freezer.
- If you have cabbage wedges, blanch them for three minutes. You can blanch cabbage shreds for one and a half minutes.
- Remove the boiled cabbages and place them in an ice bath. This stops the cooking process and locks in the green color.
- Pull the boiled cabbage out as soon as the boiling time is over and place them in a bowl of iced water to stop them from cooking any further.
- Flash freeze the cabbage, place them on a cookie sheet before you place them in the freezer. Doing so will prevent them from sticking to each other or having freezer burn. Flash freezing the cabbage will take two hours.
- Place them in freezer-safe plastic bags. Remove as much air as you can from your plastic bags before sealing them.
- Label them and write the date of their storage. Place the cabbage-filled plastic bags into your freezer, and that’s it!
Video
Notes
- Make sure that your cabbage is dry enough before you freeze them. Excess water will produce more ice crystals and then result in freezer burn. This will destroy the cabbage leaves’ cell walls and then make them soggy when you thaw them.
- You can opt to shred the cabbage before you place them into your freezer bags. Shredded cabbage is good if you want to make stews or soups.
